Let me be the first to get a bite of this crow. Yeah, I buried Kurt Rambis and his T-Wolves before the opening tip. Credit where credit is due, Rambis had his men ready play while Phil Jackson and his squad were lucky to win. The Lakers won this game on championship mettle alone. The Timberwolves and their 25 turnovers gifted this ugly 99-94 victory to Los Angeles.
Once again the Lake Show is sorely missing Andrew Bynum. I’ve said it before and I’ll keep saying it until guys like Kevin Love stop dropping 23 and pulling down 24 against the Lakers. Just like the game against the Raptors, the Lakers were out rebounded by a staggering margin (54-42). Minnesota out-hustled, out-worked and out-played the Lakers all night long.
Kobe Bryant will complain about not getting calls and he’s right. There has probably never been a superstar as disrespected by the officials as KB24 but that is no excuse. Kobe still dropped 33 and still had plenty of opportunities to put this game on ice.
Every time the Lakers opened up a sizeable lead the T-Wolves had an answer.
The Renegades were nowhere to be found tonight. Shannon Brown and Steve Blake looked more timid than A.C. Green in a strip club as both shot a combined 2 of 7 from the field. Props to Matt Barnes though, he’s really finding his rhythm.
If this was supposed to be a cake walk then Minnesota must have felt like Milton cause they never got their piece of that cake.
Were it not for some sloppy play this could have easily been the first taste of defeat the Lakers got this year. Instead, it’s just my first taste of crow. Naturally the Lakers will eventually taste defeat and I’m sure I’ll eat plenty more crow.
With a date in Denver looming on Thursday, the Lakes are getting ready to take this show on the road. Time to put up or shut up. I know it’s just one game and I know a win is a win. But this is about playing like champions every time you take the court. Sure, there will be off nights but that doesn’t give any man in Purple and Gold the right to take the night off.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got a size 10 to insert into my mouth.